NEXT STEPS

Heading into its eighth year, the Live Well San Diego vision is becoming a reality for more individuals, communities and organizations throughout the region. Recognized Partners in every sector continue to join the movement, bringing their expertise and expanding the reach of collective efforts that are creating measurable change within San Diego’s diverse communities.

LIVE WELL COMMUNITIES

Live Well Communities, a new program launched in 2016 by the County and in collaboration with community partners, is expanding the reach of the Live Well San Diego vision by addressing population health and health equity in historically underserved areas of the county — the communities of Southeastern San Diego, as well as nearby locations in Lemon Grove, Spring Valley, and National City. The goal of the program is to address long-standing inequities, disparities and disproportionality in this geographic area by focusing on key interventions that engage residents, strengthen services, and lead to measurable results.

In parallel, San Diego County was selected as one of 50 finalists in the Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge, a partnership between the Aetna Foundation, the American Public Health Association and the National Association of Counties and administered by CEOs For Cities. This $1.5 million prize competition gives our region the opportunity to compete over the course of 2 years to develop practical, evidence-based strategies to improve measurable health outcomes and promote health and wellness, equity and social interaction within Live Well Communities.

Live Well Communities

In the coming year, Live Well Communities is expanding to include a Train-the-Trainers Resident Leadership Academy designed to inspire community-level leadership for change making, as well as the rollout of a comprehensive communications strategy inspired by feedback from multi-language focus groups conducted over the past year. Live Well Communities will also expand into other areas within North and Eastern San Diego in the years to come.

SUPPORTING VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES

According to the 2017 Homeless Point-in-Time Count in San Diego County, there are 9,116 homeless people in our region. About 3,495 of these individuals are sleeping in emergency shelters or transitional housing, and more than half are without any type of housing. Through partnerships with other municipalities, housing authorities, community organizations, the health and justice sectors, among others, the County is actively engaged in identifying solutions for people who are homeless.

One such partnership is the Regional Task Force on the Homeless(RTFH), which serves as the overall Governance Body for homelessness throughout the San Diego region. The goal of the RTFH is to end homelessness throughout the region – meaning homelessness for any individual or family is a rare, brief, and non-reoccurring event.

The County’s commitment to these efforts has been actualized through the implementation of Project One For All, an extensive effort by the County of San Diego and partners to provide intensive wraparound services, including mental health counseling and housing, to homeless individuals with serious mental illness. Commitments from the other housing authorities in the region include the San Diego Housing Commission’s commitment of 733 housing vouchers to the effort, and the Cities of Encinitas and El Cajon funding of housing navigation services. Since inception in 2016 through July 2017, there have been 445 people housed with treatment services through Project One for All.

Additional upcoming initiatives reflect the County’s and partners’ long-term commitment to people experiencing

Project One for All

homelessness. The Whole Person Wellness initiative, slated to begin in January 2018, will provide person-centered, intensive care management for 1,049 people experiencing homelessness through December 2020. Bringing Families Home will assign a Housing Navigator to families identified by their Child Welfare worker who are experiencing homelessness in the Central and South regions. Specifically, the program will offer assistance with security deposits, rent, and other supports for up to 9 months through Rapid Rehousing and plans to serve 120 families through 2019. And in the Fall of 2017, the Board of Supervisors took a significant step in addressing the affordable housing needs for the region, by establishing a $25m Trust Fund to spur housing development specifically for people who are very-low to low- income.

CALIFORNIA BOARD OF STATE AND COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS PROPOSITION 47 GRANT

In June 2017, the County and City of San Diego were jointly awarded a $6 million (over three years) California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) Proposition 47 Grantto provide substance abuse and mental health services to hundreds of people cited for or charged with misdemeanor drug and property crimes across the region.

Approved by voters in November 2014, Proposition 47 changed certain drug and property offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. Another key provision required the state to redirect savings from a reduced prison population to this grant program, to provide treatment and supportive services to those cited or arrested for Proposition 47-impacted offenses. Under the grant, the County, the City and community partners are working together to provide in-person connections, case management, substance abuse treatment and help with finding housing and jobs.

Community, Action, Resource and Engagement (CARE) Center

One example of this effort is the project’s partnership with the District Attorney’s Community, Action, Resource and Engagement (CARE) Center, which links individuals to community-based, culturally competent prevention and intervention services. Project goals include helping to build self-sufficiency by connecting individuals with organizations that support recovery and rehabilitation.

STRONG FAMILIES, THRIVING COMMUNITIES

Strong Families, Thriving Communities is a partnership between the Clinton Health Matters Initiative, The San Diego Foundation and the County of San Diego to improve the health and wellbeing of children and families across San Diego County. Bringing together local leaders and organizations to focus on children and families that receive assistance from local agencies, the initiative has four objectives:

Elevate the topic of disparities and inequities within the space of child welfare and juvenile justice, and facilitate a broader conversation on the current state of these systems;

Convene key decision makers, change agents, and stakeholders from across San Diego County to build consensus around a common agenda, objectives and best path forward;

Present the outcomes of these findings, sharing a distillation of perspectives, data and information related to the state of the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and the factors that influence them; and,

Launch a strategic plan based on findings to implement solutions that will improve the health and wellbeing of children and families.

Clinton Health Matters Initiative

CHOOSE WELL

San Diego County launched the new Choose Well website in August 2017, which allows caregivers and families to easily compare assisted-living facilities via a simple rating system that considers cost, amenities, regulatory histories, licensing, nursing care and more. The site was developed with support from Consumer Advocates for RCFE Reform, a nonprofit group that helps seniors with residential care. Of 600 assisted-living facilities in San Diego County, nearly 120 have agreed to participate in voluntary evaluations thus far. The site launch is a key component of a larger focus on “Living Well Across the Ages,” the theme of the 2017 Live Well Advance.

Choose Well

LIVE WELL SAN DIEGOFOOD SYSTEM INITIATIVE

Finally, the County’s Live Well San Diego Food System Initiative works toward a robust and resilient local food system that builds healthy communities, supports the economy and enhances the environment. As part of this initiative, the County is currently working with partners in the region to increase food donations and reduce food waste. This collaboration includes conducting a survey among food pantries to assess infrastructure needs for improving food donation, as well as the creation of a Food Donation Action Plan for the San Diego Region. The plan will inform policymakers about infrastructure needs and costs to improve food donation, and will help address food insecurity and food waste. It will be submitted to the Board of Supervisors by June of 2018.

In the coming year, the County will also continue to engage food system stakeholders to identify performance measures for the different facets of the food system (from growing and distribution, through consumption and disposal). This project will allow the region to track improvements in the food system and will provide data to inform opportunities to create positive changes.

Live Well San Diego Food System Initiative

The programs and events in this online report are only a small sample of the numerous ways that Recognized Partners, community organizations and individuals worked together in year seven of Live Well San Diego to advance the shared vision. Together, with the leadership of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and supported by County staff, Recognized Partners are helping San Diegans to live well across the ages.

SUPPORTING VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES

According to the 2017 Homeless Point-in-Time Count in San Diego County, there are 9,116 homeless people in our region. About 3,495 of these individuals are sleeping in emergency shelters or transitional housing, and more than half are without any type of housing. Through partnerships with other municipalities, housing authorities, community organizations, the health and justice sectors, among others, the County is actively engaged in identifying solutions for people who are homeless.

One such partnership is the Regional Task Force on the Homeless (RTFH), which serves as the overall Governance Body for homelessness throughout the San Diego region. The goal of the RTFH is to end homelessness throughout the region – meaning homelessness for any individual or family is a rare, brief, and non-reoccurring event.

The County’s commitment to these efforts has been actualized through the implementation of Project One For All, an extensive effort by the County of San Diego and its partners to provide intensive wraparound services, including mental health counseling and housing, to homeless individuals with serious mental illness. Commitments from the other housing authorities in the region include the San Diego Housing Commission’s commitment of 733 housing vouchers to the effort, and the Cities of Encinitas and El Cajon funding of housing navigation services. Since inception in 2016 through July 2017, there have been 445 people housed with treatment services through Project One for All.

Additional upcoming initiatives reflect the County’s and partners’ long-term commitment to people experiencing